Innovative and with an impact: Companies from all over Germany presented with the KfW Entrepreneurs’ Award

• 16 state winners and one national winner awarded

• The national award goes to fobizz from Hamburg

• Löschigel GmbH receives the special prize for young entrepreneurs

• KfW Capital Award goes to Itziar Estevez and Tim Schumacher

Frankfurt am Main, 20 October 2023. The KfW Entrepreneurs’ Award recognises innovative companies from all over Germany. This year’s awards were presented at a formal award ceremony yesterday evening in Berlin. Companies founded in or after 2018 from all sectors took part in the competition.

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and patron of the award, Dr Robert Habeck, stated that

”Courageous entrepreneurs spark progress for sustainable change in society and the economy and boost the SME sector. Our country needs more people who dare to do business. The winning teams offer promising solutions and prove that our country is full of ideas. I am particularly pleased that KfW has presented a special prize for ‘Young Start-ups’ for the first time this year. Germany has immense potential here. Young entrepreneurs are real role models."

Stefan Wintels, Chief Executive Officer of KfW, stated:

“The successful transformation of the economy and society as well as the strengthening of Germany as a technology location requires true entrepreneurial spirit. With the KfW Entrepreneurs’ Award, we want to not only recognise successful start-up teams, but also help to ensure that the courage to become self-employed receives public recognition. I would like to congratulate the award-winning teams; they are role models in this #decadeofdecision with their innovative solutions. As a digital transformation and promotional bank, KfW will continue to actively support young enterprises of all kinds in the future, thereby strengthening the ecosystem for young companies in our country.”

One company from each federal state was named the state winner and received prize money of EUR 1,000.

At the same time, the 16 state winners competed to become the national winner of the competition. fobizz from Hamburg received that award. Founded in 2018, the company is the leading German-speaking platform for online education and provider of tools & AI for teachers and schools. fobizz will receive prize money of EUR 10,000.

In addition, a special “young entrepeneurs” prize (EUR 5,000 prize money) was presented. Löschigel GmbH from Rhineland-Palatinate received this award. The company was founded in 2022 by Jan Heinemann while he finished his school-leaving qualifications. It develops patented products to increase the safety of emergency service personnel. Heinemann had already laid the foundation for the first product, the Löschigel (English translation: “extinguishing hedgehog”), as a student in the “Jugend forscht” youth science competition.

The KfW Capital Award was also presented at the event. Itziar Estevez (IRIS Capital) won in the Best Female Investor category, Tim Schumacher (World Fund) in the Best Impact Investor category. The awards are endowed with EUR 5,000 each. (Further information, in German, is available at­ KfW Capital Award 2023.)

An overview of the KfW Entrepreneurs' Award state winners:

• Baden-Wuerttemberg: Subsequent GmbH (3D analysis of movement data)

• Bavaria: Circular Carbon GmbH (CDR technology for the production of biochar from organic waste)

• Berlin: Complori (digital programming courses for children)

• Brandenburg: voize GmbH (digital voice transcription for nursing documentation)

• Bremen: WasteAnt GmbH (analysis systems for waste processing in waste-to-energy plants)

• Hamburg: fobizz – 101 skills GmbH (further education and digital offers for schools/teachers)

• Hesse: Ankaadia GmbH (software for the digitalisation of labour-related migration of international specialists)

• Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: thermal DRONES GmbH (Artificial Intelligence and thermal-imaging drones for wildlife rescue)

• Lower Saxony: BIOWEG (cellulose products)

• North Rhine-Westphalia: True Motion Running GmbH (innovative running shoes)

• Rhineland-Palatinate: LUBIS EDA GmbH (software for optimising microchip development)

• Saarland: KeepLocal GmbH (regional gift cards)

• Saxony: Additive Drives GmbH (electric drives in 3D printing)

• Saxony-Anhalt: Periodically UG (public dispenser boxes for period products)

• Schleswig-Holstein: Caesekrake GmbH (vegan cheese)

• Thuringia: BRILLENHELDEN GmbH (optometry)

All state winners have also qualified for the people’s choice award, which is endowed with a further EUR 5,000 in prize money. Up to and including Friday, 10 November 2023, people can vote for the people’s choice award winner at­ Kf W Award Gründen - Publikumspreis.

The winners were selected in a multi-stage process by an experienced jury made up of representatives from KfW, promotional institutions, business, politics and the media. They assessed the business ideas on their level of innovation, their creativity, and their social and environmental responsibility.

All companies are supported by a PR agency in the marketing of their success story. In addition, German TV channel n-tv will provide coverage of selected award winners as part of its “Startup Magazin” broadcast on 21 October 2023 at 10.30 am.

For more information about the 2023 award winners, see­ KfW Award 2023. Photos can be downloaded from­ Peperoni - KfW Award Gründen 2023.